The 1999 vintage is well-regarded by Piemontese producers,
as there are many really good Nebbiolo-based wines in this vintage.

June and July brought hot weather to the Langhe with temperatures going down in
August. September warmed up again, allowing for the harvesting of good
quality fruit. The quality, of course, is dictated by the dedication of
the grower in the vineyard. Too much fruit produced lighter, standard
quality wines, while smaller yields made for greater intensity.

We organized a tasting featuring some famous properties and some
new-comers. The wines have become quite costly, so being able to taste and
compare before purchase is especially important these days.

We have never had a distribution in the results as we had in this tasting.
This is due to the wines all being of "good" quality at a
minimum. Three wines were ahead of the rest, with "the rest"
being virtually tied. We have never had 4 wines score identically, with
one other wine a single point ahead of the four! The ties are broken by
the greater number of firsts, then greater number of seconds and/or thirds.

The wines are young, of course. But not backwards as much as they are
simply not developed very much. This tasting was rather like un-baked
bread: it's easy to see its shape and form, but you are well distant from being
able to enjoy it.

These Barolo wines really should be kept in the cellar for many more years
before they are released (I know the producers will argue they have neither the
cellar space nor the economic resources to hold wines that long). But the
fact of the matter is these wines DO cost a small fortune and opening a bottle
to put on the dinner table tonight (or in the next year or so) is simply
infanticide.

Here's what we found:

The Wines

Gerald's Rank

Ellen's Rank

Bob's Rank

GROUP RANK

Total Points

1sts/2nds/
Lasts

PODERI
COLLADardi
Le Rose Bussia
$60

7

4

6

4

83

1/2/3

ALDO
CONTERNOCicala
~ Bussia
$120

6

8

7

5

84

1/2/3

CONTERNO
FANTINOParussi
$70

4

5

4

8

84

0/1/1

CONTERNO
FANTINOSor
Ginestra
$ 85

1

2

5

2

51

3/4/1

PODERI
LUIGI EINAUDINei
Cannubi
$84

3

7

2

6

84

0/2/3

BRUNO
GIACOSAFalletto
di Serralunga
$150

8

6

8

7

84

0/1/3

MONTIBussia
$96

2

3

1

3

63

5/2/2

ROBERTO
VOERZIOCerequio
$225

5

1

3

1

43

6/2/0

8th Place: CONTERNO-FANTINO 1999 BAROLO "PARUSSI"One taster objected to the intensity of what was described as "black
licorice" in this wine, which they felt had "nice balance, but
overwhelming anise notes." Another critic detected a "lot of
leather, but I ranked it second because it hurt less on the palate than many of
the other wines!" A third critic found a "citrus tang" and
wondered if the bottle was "off." Another critic felt this
"will be excellent in 2040!" Someone else found notes of
"tomato concass, blackberry, plum and nutmeg." One other person said
"It's better on the palate than on the nose, but it still lacks a bit of
stuffing."
I detected a slight note I described as "eucalyptus," as the wine
displays a hint of a resiny quality on the nose. The wine is nice on the
palate, showing some berry fruit and mild woodsy notes. It's got a nice
balance of fruit and tannin. You can stash this for 10-15 years with
ease. I gave it a one-and-a-half star rating on my three star scale, no
stars being a standard or ordinary wine.

7th Place: BRUNO GIACOSA 1999 BAROLO "FALLETTO DI SERRALUNGA"Enjoyed by one taster who found "leafy notes and some soil fragrances
which is why I liked it." But another critic felt it "lacked the
terroir of Barolo and was more like a Langhe Rosso." A third person
found "Unmistakable tobacco and ash notes." Someone else
said "It's one dimensional, but at least the wine is not suffocated by
tannin." Another panel member found "currant and red berries
with a mildly minerally quality." Someone else said this wine
"changed the least over the course of the tasting." A couple of
others found some fruit notes, one detecting "artificial strawberry"
and the other "tart cherries."
With Giacosa's wine, I found a very lightly cherryish fruit element on the nose
with a whiff of tobacco. It was the lightest in color, but the nose was
good. Yet on the palate the wine was simply lighter and a bit less deep
than the rest of the field. It is a bit softer and more drinkable now than
most of the others, yet at the prices Giacosa's wines command, I can't say I
shall be lining up for the chance to buy another bottle. I gave it a
one-half star rating.

6th LUIGI EINAUDI 1999 BAROLO "NEI CANNUBI"One critic felt "This had the best nose to start but it diminished and
did not deliver much on the palate, though it has a hint of anise."
Someone else found "Sweet strawberry candy and strawberry fruit on the
palate." A third critic found some "anise on the nose, though a
bit flabby and the most accessible wine of the tasting." Someone else
characterized this as "Classically styled, with notes of dried roses and
tar." Another taster found notes of "violets." One
detractor said it "...is soft and light on the palate but there's a
disturbing off note that strikes me as slightly medicinal." A final
note was that the wine shows "Spicy, violety notes with some stewed
rhubarb-like elements."
I found hints of berries and cherries with a lightly meaty note. It's
certainly rather tannic, needing a decade to come around, but seems to have
enough cherry-like fruit on the palate to warrant cellaring. One-and-a-half
stars.

5th Place: ALDO CONTERNO 1999 BAROLO "CICALA"Described by one person as having "softer tannins and lots of peppery
notes along with a nice finish," Conterno's wine had its fans and its
detractors. One critic felt it grew "more sour as it sat in the
glass," while another person found it to be "tart and displaying
unripe fruit. The nose is quite different as well, showing notes of
leather and chocolate." Someone else was impressed that this
"...is the only wine which can be aged until 2040. It's super rich
and has a really complex nose." Another taster felt this has
"too much oak," while another taster said it's "overripe, soft
and lacks a bit of fruit." Bob mentioned a butter and caramel aspect
to the wood here and that the "cassis-like fruit is not typical."
I found it to be very bright and berryish with a high-toned feature that I found
interesting. I don't know if this is a sign of volatility, but it is
snappy and berryish with a lot of tannin on the palate. One-and-a-half
stars.

4th Place: PODERI COLLA 1999 BAROLO "DARDI LE ROSE"Knocked by one critic for being "Rustic and metallic with an
off-putting aroma," someone else detected notes of "iodine and tar
along with being very tannic and flawed on the palate." Another
critic panned it for being "watery in the middle." Someone else
found it to have a "leafy aroma," while a final taster said it's
reminiscent of "anise and it got better in the glass."
I sensed a berry and cherry fruit quality here with mild forest floor
notes. It veered off track a bit showing a barn-yard aspect, but it
really needs time in the bottle to develop. There seems to be ample fruit
to pair with the tannins here. One star now...maybe more later.

3rd Place: MONTI 1999 BAROLO "BUSSIA"This is a rather new, small producer whose wines have been attracting a bit
of attention. One taster described this as "a big mouthful of
fruit. Very nice and complex though it's a bit short." Echoing,
to some degree, these sentiments was another critic who found it to be
"Big, sweet and displaying ripe fruit and a little bit of tar. It's
very complex with dark berry notes. Tannic but balanced." A
third panel member felt it has a "complex nose and the best proportions in
terms of tannin and acidity." Only one detractor spoke up saying it
had "tarry notes with a fertilizer or potting soil sort of character."
I really liked the nose, which shows some forest floor fragrances and a touch of
leather (but not in the sense of Brettanomyces). There's an "old
school" quality to this wine. It's tannic and snappy with bright
berryish fruit. Two stars!

2nd Place: CONTERNO FANTINO 1999 BAROLO "SOR GINESTRA"Described by one person as exhibiting "Cherry candy notes with some
menthol and eucalyptus...it's like a a twirling ballerina!" Another
fan said "It's cherryish and has a wonderful nose being big, rich and
complex." A third person felt this showed the "sweetest
fruit." One taster noted the "high quality oak which is too
overt, perhaps, but it accentuates the character of the fruit."
Another person found "black cherry & spice notes with a touch of
rhubarb."
I enjoyed the oaky, vanillin quality here of this internationally-styled
Barolo. But I felt there's enough "Barolo" to go along with all
that wood, making for a very attractive wine. It can probably go a decade
or two. Two stars+.

1st Place: ROBERTO VOERZIO 1999 BAROLO "CEREQUIO""Here's a wine with lush fruit and it seems a bit soft but the tannins
are deceptive." said one fan. Someone else said it was "a bit
peaty, earthy, has red spice notes and is a classic. It's great now and
will be so in the future, too." Another taster said it "has the
longest and best finish." Someone else described the tannins as
"fine grained," while a final critic said the "fruit is a tad
over-ripe."
I detected a really bright cherry fruit aroma and a hint of wood lurking behind
it. It's tannic on the palate but not off-the-charts. This is going
to need at least ten years to develop and harmonize. It does show promise,
however. The price, I should note, has risen dramatically over the
past three vintages thanks to various journalists gushing with praise for
Voerzio's wines. One-and-a-half stars.

Please note: The wines tasted are not always wines
we have (or have had) in the shop.
Many bottles are merely for our enological exploration.
Price quoted are current at the time of the tasting, but may be different
when you're reading this.

WE HAVE NOT ORGANIZED A TASTING IN A WHILE...
BUT WE DO POST THE RESULTS OF A PRIVATE TASTING GROUP THAT'S BEEN MEETING FOR
MORE THAN 40 YEARS!

We are working on
organizing some blind-tastings at the shop.
Send us a note to indicate your interest in participating.
These would be on Wednesday evenings and you'd need to bring 8 wine glasses.